Receive the latest national-international updates in your inbox

After three cars have crashed into one Highland home over the past six months, the city wants to make things right. Jacob Rascon reports from Highland for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22, 2014. (Published Tuesday, April 22, 2014)

After a car smashed through a Southern California home in the third such incident in six months, city officials are doing a traffic study to determine what improvements can be made.

The study of the sweeping downgrade on Tuolumne Lane in Highland will take a couple of weeks and could result in the posting of new signs or cutting the speed limit.

The study is usually done once a year, but officials are making an exception.

The impact sheared a gas line and a water line that flooded the home's first floor. The crash also damaged the family's new car that was parked in the garage.

"I opened up the door, and there's just a cloud of debris," Jeff Sauerwein said.

"I actually thought the whole entire car was going to explode," said the couple's son Tristan.

The family rushed to get out of the house.

As they did, the driver of the car ran, too. At one point the family and the driver exchanged words. While running after the driver, the husband dialed 911 from his cellphone, summoning deputies.

The driver was booked into jail on charges of driving under the influence and hit and run, deputies said.

A truck crashed into the family’s front yard in January. Last fall, another car crashed into their gate. The family said they have made calls and written letters to the city asking for help, but said those pleas have gone unanswered.

"Put some speed bumps, some kind of signage up there, to help with this problem, because someone's going to die," Jeff Sauerwein said.

Neighbors told NBC4 that more than a dozen cars had gone into that property in a decade.